


Sunlight

by bog_rosemary



Series: St Dionysus's College for Witchcraft and Revelry [1]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: (imagine these past two tags are said together for emphasis), (that's not a tag but it's the core of this story), Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Magic, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Neurodiversity, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Witchcraft, Witches, this is harry potter-esque but it's not directly a harry potter AU, world building and exploration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28795146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bog_rosemary/pseuds/bog_rosemary
Summary: Jeon Heejin is fifteen when she first discovers she's a witch.
Relationships: Jeon Heejin & Kim Hyunjin, Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Series: St Dionysus's College for Witchcraft and Revelry [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110062
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	Sunlight

Heejin came into her powers at the age of fifteen, when she sneezed while studying in her bedroom and accidentally sent all of the papers on her desk flying. As they floated down around her, her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened.

She was a witch.

_Finally._

Without wasting a second, she scrambled out of her chair, sneezing once and sending her plushies flying. She spent a second gently placing them back on her bed — she had manners, after all — before bolting out of her room and running for the living room, where her parents were relaxing. On her way, she made a calendar’s pages flip, caught a potted plant before it could shatter on the floor, and carefully stepped over their lazy dog and the small fence that kept him away from the kitchen.

“Mom! Dad!” she shouted, too excited to care about her volume. She could barely contain her joy, and her parents must have picked up on it, because they didn’t scold her for being loud. “Look! I’m — ah — _ah — achoo!”_

With that final, powerful sneeze, the books her parents had been reading shot out of their hands, flying straight up to the ceiling and falling back down on their upturned faces with a great clatter.

There was silence for half a second — that was the longest Heejin could contain herself. “I’m a witch!”

Her dad took his book off of his face and gave Heejin a proud smile. “So you are.”

“Congratulations, my dear, I’m so proud of you,” her mom said with an equally proud expression on her face. She got up and gave Heejin a hug. “I can feel the magic in you,” she murmured into Heejin’s shoulder.

Heejin grinned and squeezed her mom even tighter. “I’m so happy,” she whispered.

“I’m happy for you,” her mom said. “I always knew you’d come into your powers. You get them from me, you know.”

Heejin smiled even wider, if that was at all possible. “Does this mean I get to go to the school? Oh, I’m so excited, you have to tell me _everything_ about your time there so I can go to all the places you did, and take all the classes you did, and — I want to learn _everything!”_

“Oh goodness, the school,” her mom muttered to herself. She broke the hug and looked Heejin in the eye. “Are you sure you want to go?”

“Sweetheart, she needs to learn how to control her powers,” her dad said, approaching the two of them with their dog in his arms, who had woken up at the excitement and now looked at Heejin with a happy, dopey expression. Her parents shared a significant look between them.

“Alright,” her mom said. “You’re right.”

Heejin paid them no mind, taking her dog from her dad and bopping around the living room with him in her arms. “Guess what,” she whispered to his brainless smile. “I’m magic!”

* * *

A week later, St Dionysus’s College of Witchcraft and Revelry — the magic school her mom had attended, and that Heejin had recently enrolled in — sent her the school uniforms and books she’d need. The package was quite large.

“They’ve expanded the wardrobe since I’ve been there,” her mom mused aloud. They went through the package together in Heejin’s bedroom, and she cast a suspicious glance at everything. With a wave of her hand, she brought all of the clothes out from the package and laid them down flat and neat on every flat surface she could. “Are those trousers?”

Heejin picked up a pair of black slacks and held them against her legs. “Do you think they’ll fit?”

“They should, I sent your measurements,” her mom muttered. “Try them on, dear, find what outfit you like the most and we’ll order some more of them. I can’t believe they sent you the books, I still have mine from my first year that I could’ve given you…”

As her mom trailed off, Heejin brought all the clothes to the bathroom and tried them all on, showing each outfit to her mom. The school crest was plastered on about every piece of clothing it made sense to put it; even on the casual sweatshirt and t-shirt they’d given her, the crest was splashed across the back and where the front pocket would be.

“Mom,” Heejin called from the bathroom, squinting at her sweatshirt in the mirror. “What does… _Ad Persequendos Delectationis_ mean?”

“The motto?” Her mom asked, and spent a minute contemplating the Latin. “The pursuit of pleasure, or something like that. Come out and let me see you already!”

Heejin showed off all of the outfits to her. There were a few that they laughed at right off the bat, such as the long dresses in black and purple (the school colors, her mom told her) and the terrible checked pants (and shorts!) that paired with absolutely nothing else in the package. Heejin did genuinely like the cozier clothes they’d given her — black and purple knit cardigans, with big wooden buttons down the front; and a black cotton vest with the crest embroidered onto the breast, even if it didn’t quite fit well on her.

There were several pleated tennis skirts, black, purple, and the same plaid pattern of light purple set on black that was on the rest of the checked clothes. There were also a few sleeveless dresses in the same patterns and colors. Heejin set aside the skirts and put on the black trousers and the button-down shirt, and tried on the button-down vest and the blazer, which again sported the crest proudly on its breast.

“Oh, you look very smart,” Heejin’s mom said when she showed her that outfit. Heejin preened under the praise.

She tossed out a lilac polo shirt and tried very hard to burn it. Hideous thing. Unfortunately, her mom stopped her.

There were also a few accessories; a tie, dress shoes and heeled Mary Janes, and several pairs of socks, as if Heejin couldn’t get any of those herself. When she asked her mom about it, she just sighed aggravatedly. “They’re very controlling about what they let you wear. Something about regular clothing being intolerant of magic if you leave it there too long… don’t worry, we’ll send you off with some casual clothes. No one expects you to wear your uniforms the whole time; I certainly didn’t.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Heejin muttered, melting a little with relief. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard — she had a cool reputation to maintain.

Which got her thinking. This was a totally fresh start for her — she wasn’t going to know _anyone_ there, which meant that she could completely reinvent herself. Maybe people would actually think she was cool. Not that people didn’t think that already — she had plenty of friends at her regular school, but… They were good friends, and for the first time Heejin realized she might have to leave them behind.

Her mom didn’t miss her silence. “Jinnie, what’s on your mind?”

Heejin sat down in the hallway, dressed in her normal, casual clothes once more. “I’m… I don’t know. I guess I’m a little worried about it… what will everyone think of me? What if this is all a mistake, and my magic _sucks?_ I’m going to leave all of my friends behind and what if it’s for nothing?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” her mom murmured, and wrapped Heejin in a hug. “This must seem so scary, doesn’t it?”

Heejin sniffed and murmured a small _“yeah”_ into her mom’s shoulder.

“I promise you,” her mom said firmly, “that this will all be worth it. There’s nothing in the world like this school. You are going to make new friends and find the people who fit with you and have adventures and learn so many amazing things. You are going to grow into a bright, capable young woman, and I can’t wait to see what you do with your magic.”

Heejin sniffled a little. “Tell me about meeting your coven,” she murmured. “Please.”

Her mom shifted them until they were both comfortable, sitting against the wall of the hallway. “Well, there’s Auntie Minyoung; she gave you the set of everlasting pens when we had the party a couple days ago, you remember. She used to study magical theory, tried out a bunch of different strains of magic but could never settle on any of them. Then there’s your Auntie Shinhye, who gave you the moon lamp. She used to study dark magic — she was our token dark magic witch, maybe you’ll find one in your coven as well. They’re not all bad, dear, these things need to be studied and passed down… trying to hide it will only make people want it more. But, anyway, ask Shinhye about it yourself and I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it. There’s also Auntie Yeun, who studied fire magic, which terrified me as a student, even more than Shinhye’s magic. It’s wild and uncontrollable, a lot like her. She gave you the hair ribbons that keep it all neat and away from your face. Then Auntie Yunhee, who gave you that round crystal. She studied crystal magic, and had a quarter or two in light magic…”

“Mom, I know all of them already, they’re here all the time,” Heejin complained. “Can you tell me how you met? _Please.”_

“I’m getting to that, cheeky one,” her mom said. “Well… I was the youngest of the bunch, some nerdy little girl studying potions. I was good friends with the other potions students, but we rarely ever emerged from our classrooms in the dungeons — a lot of potions are especially light-sensitive, so they must be made in very controlled environments. That’s why I don’t make them very often anymore. What was I talking about?”

“Mom…” Heejin said.

“Right, meeting the girls,” her mom said with a grin. “One day, I ran into Shinhye while on my way to class. And I was scared witless! She was also on her way to class, and had no patience for a tiny sprout like me getting in her way. But — and these are her words, so don’t think I’m self absorbed or anything, okay — she took a closer look at me, with my big glasses and even bigger books, and something about me made her interested enough for her to bring me to her other friend. She had only met Minyoung at the time, Yeun and Yunhee were off having a grand old time skipping class and experimenting with throwing rocks through fire together. Minyoung was our coven leader, though, and was very sure that I was a part of them. So we hung around together — I helped them with their homework, I’ve always been a bit more keen on studying than the others and they definitely used that to their advantage. But one day Yeun and Yunhee accidentally made a flaming rock fly through the window of Minyoung’s bedroom, where we had been studying together, and the three of us made such a big stink about it that we were genuinely pissed off when we found out we were coven mates. Which is how the best covens are formed, of course.”

“Okay,” Heejin murmured, tired from her small panic earlier. The story had done its job soothing her, and she rested her head on her mom’s shoulder, fighting off sleep.

“I can’t wait to meet your coven,” her mom said, thinking out loud now that her story was over. “I wonder how many witches you’ll have… my baby girl needs a lot of friends, and I want them to take care of you right, okay?”

“Mhm.”

“You’ll spend the rest of your life with them. And they’ll be good to you, and you to them — that’s how it works — and I know I’m being foolish for worrying about it, but… well, it’s my job, as your mom, to worry. I love you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, if I can help it.”

“‘m going to be fine, Mom,” Heejin mumbled, drifting off into sleep. “I’m magic.”

“You are,” her mom said, patting her hand. “I love you, Jinnie.”

“Love you, Mom.”

They sat together for a minute more. Heejin’s brain gradually emptied of thoughts, and she nodded off once or twice.

“Aw, my baby, let’s get you in bed, why don’t we? Today was very exciting,” her mom said. She pulled Heejin up with a firm pull on her hand, and herded her shuffling steps towards her bedroom. With a wave of her hand, she stacked the new books on Heejin’s desk for her to go through when she woke; the clothes Heejin had tried on folded themselves up nice and neat and set themselves on her desk chair. “Good night, my dear.”

Heejin pulled the blankets over her shoulder and gave her mom a dopey smile. “G’night.”

* * *

The next week was Heejin’s wand fitting, and the buying of everything else she needed before her parents would let her ship off to St Dionysus’s College. Her dad tagged along with them, very interested in all the magic shops he’d never had a reason to go into before his daughters came into their powers.

Heejin picked up on his fascination as they stopped outside a potion ingredients store and waited for her mom to stock up on her supplies. “Did you ever want to be a witch, Dad?”

“Hm, not really,” her dad said, distracted somewhat by the bubbling cauldrons in the window. “I was quite content being magicless. Glad I married your mother, though, she makes a headache relief potion so much better than the non-magic alternatives on the market.”

“I see.”

“But that’s normal, for magicless people like me,” her dad continued. “We don’t really have a pull towards it like witches do. It’s the same way I never wanted to be an professional athlete, or a world class musician. And it’s why your one sister was never jealous of your other sister for being a witch, and why she isn’t jealous of you. I think it’s interesting. It’s a life I wasn’t close to before I married your mother, and it still fascinates me when I learn new things about it. And I’m proud of you for coming into your powers, just as I’d be proud of Hyeja for becoming a famous musician.”

“Okay.” Heejin smiled and leaned against her dad. “I’m glad you’re proud.”

The two of them stayed like that for a moment. Heejin was glad to have these moments with her parents; she was going to go to St Dionysus’s any day, and she wanted to soak up as much as her parents as she could before she went away. It wouldn’t be forever — she had weekends, and breaks from school to go visit them — but it felt like a clean break in her story. There was before she went to magic school, and there would be after.

Her mom rushed out of the store, a heavy bag slung over her shoulder. “Alright,” she said. “I may have gotten, perhaps, a little more supplies than are strictly necessary. Are we ready to move on? We still have Jinnie’s wand to fit, I made an appointment for half three but we’ll need to hurry if we’re going to make it.”

“We’re ready,” her dad said, and he held Heejin’s hand the entire rest of the way. She wondered if he was trying to soak up as much of her as he could, too.

The store that her mom swore up and down sold wands was… a little creepy. It had curtains across the front window, and incredibly old stickers and posters over the windowsill and doorframe, advertising it as one of the best wand sellers as ranked by some organization Heejin had never heard of. But her mom was certain, and Heejin was not going to go against her mom when she was certain.

“In we go,” she murmured to herself, and pushed the tiny door open. A small bell chimed in the gloom of the shop, and the three piled into the store, nearly unable to move in the small space, crowded by stacks and stacks of cases of wands. Heejin squirmed away from her parents and wandered the shelves, looking at the spindly handwriting on each of the cases; they were numbered and lettered in a pattern that almost made sense, she just needed to see more to get the whole shape of it…

“You must be Miss Jeon,” a spindly old voice said. “Welcome.”

Heejin turned — she had been examining an unusually labelled case — and found an older man, perhaps a decade or so older than her father, looking at her from the end of the row. He had glasses perched on his nose _and_ on top of his head, and Heejin wondered if he had lost one pair and forgot it existed.

“Hello,” she said with a small bow of respect. “I’m here to buy a wand.”

“What a coincidence,” the man said. “I’m here to sell wands. Perhaps we can be of assistance to each other.”

“I like your labelling system,” Heejin said. “What can I call you?”

“I believe you’re young, so you can call me Mr Kang,” he said. “Come find your parents and sit down, I’ll find some wands that might suit you. Don’t feel pressured to find the perfectly right wand straight off the bat. There are a lot of options, and we can take our time.”

Heejin found her parents worrying by the front door where she had left them, and guided them to a slightly more open space, with a tiny sofa and armchair squeezed next to looming shelves filled with wands. They were by the curtained window, and Heejin twitched it aside just a smidge, looking out onto the crowded street outside. They were in a witches shopping district, though there were a few non-magical stores scattered around, and plenty of non-magical people walking around. Across the street was a records shop, which seemed to receive heavy traffic. Heejin watched people go in and out for a while until Mr Kang returned with a large stack of wand cases.

“Here we go,” he said, depositing them by the armchair where she had taken residence. “Do me a favor and put aside half of them. Doesn’t matter which; don’t overthink it. Just get rid of — ” he quickly counted under his breath — “nine boxes.”

Heejin placed all of the cases on the floor in no random order, then stacked them on top of each other. She took the top case and got rid of it, then kept the next; and in that pattern of ridding and keeping one after another, was left with nine cases of wands.

“Thank you,” Mr Kang said. “Sit there; I’ll be right back.”

He left, and returned with another six cases. Heejin had examined the labels, and thought she might be getting the hang of the system.

“Pick out your seven favorite,” Mr Kang told her. “Don’t put too much thought into the labels, I know you’re interested in them. Do what feels right.”

Heejin shrugged, but did as he asked, picking out five cases with small imperfections or quirks of labelling she enjoyed. Mr Kang put the others away, and the two of them focused on the seven wands that were left. He wheeled in a small table and told Heejin to put them all in a row, then took the first and the last ones away.

“It will be one of these five,” he said. “We’ll test each one.” He took the top off of each case and presented the wands to the room. Heejin’s parents leaned in close, interested in which wands they had to choose from. They were all wildly different, and striking in their own ways.

Heejin examined the one in the middle first. It was the shortest, smooth and black the entire way through, and was in pieces. Several large chunks were missing. She considered it for a moment, wondering how to pick it up. Would she have to pick out every piece? But when she reached out to touch one, she found that her fingers stopped barely a centimetre away from the wood — she slid her touch down the entire length of the wand, and found that a smooth, invisible, resin-like material held all the pieces together and in place. She picked it up, marveling at how the pieces seemed to float in midair, and swished it around slightly to get the feel of it before putting it back.

The one directly to its left was next. It was bulbous at one end, and tapered to a thin point. Instead of a finish, the wood of the wand was sandpapered smooth; it was carved with vines and leaves and flowers, and among them, runes she couldn’t understand. The feel of it was natural in her hand, as if it wanted someone to pick it up; but as she looked closer, she saw small animals hidden behind the vines and leaves start to come out, blinking up at her. The sight made her heart stutter in her chest, and she hurriedly put the wand back in its case, taking a moment to recover before moving on.

Heejin took the one to the right of the first next. It was the longest, golden and elegant, with a swirl of mother-of-pearl winding up the side. It was very smooth and thin, almost slippery in her grasp. The tip split, with large, stretched holes twisting up until it ended in a rounded cap of mother-of-pearl. Small glints of a blue crystal inlaid in the gold shone through from the inside of the twisting holes. At the other end, a large blue crystal bulged from the end, jagged and sharp-edged. Heejin looked through the holes at her parents, who smiled at her patiently.

She looked at the farthest left one next. It was made of a light wood, and the tip was very, very sharp. It wasn’t straight or smooth like the others had been; instead, it seemed hastily carved, with sweeping cuts of a knife shearing it into something vaguely wand-shaped. The handle — unlike the others so far, this had a definitive handle — was pitted with small holes, and curved up into a sharp point at the very end. Heejin picked it up and gasped when she turned it around. On the other side of the handle was a thin bone embedded in the wood. The bone was small — both joints were visible — and slightly yellow. It was firm, but she got the sense it was old. Somehow it was less scary than the other wooden wand, the one with the runes and the animals, maybe because the bone belonged to something already dead. It felt respected, here.

The last one was the one farthest right. It was painted pink, a good size and length, and had two decorations at each end. On one end was a golden crescent moon, large and shiny; it rested on a crown of gems of every color, with golden lines running down from each gem until about midway down its length. The other end swelled suddenly to a relatively flat circle with a large hole that took up much of the space. Suspended in the hole, by magic Heejin supposed, was a round pearl. When she took the wand and swished it through the air, crescent moon facing out, the pearl lagged behind slightly as the wand moved through the air.

“What do you think?” Mr Kang asked.

Heejin pushed both wooden ones away first; they didn’t seem to fit her quite right. After careful consideration, she put the shattered one aside as well, leaving her with the thin golden wand and the pink wand.

“Is there any meaning to them?” Heejin asked. “I’ve been looking at your labels, and it seems like they’re supposed to make sense of what the wands are, but I just don’t understand them.”

“They’re not incredibly meaningful,” Mr Kang said. “They just tell me the materials and spells I’ve put into the wand. For this one — ” he took the case of the wooden wand with the bone — “we have western hemlock wood, and a bone from a dog’s arm. It’s a good wand for someone who is serious and loyal. Could be for someone who plans to research dark magic, or animals and nature.”

“I see,” Heejin said. “So, does that mean that picking a wand says what you’ll focus your study on at school? Like, if I picked that wand, I’d definitely be in dark magic?”

“Not at all,” Mr Kang said. “There’s no prophesy involved in wands. No matter what you pick, I’m sure you’ll go into whichever course of study you like the most.”

“Okay,” Heejin said, turning her attention back to the two wands she had left herself with. “I’m not going to ask what these lean towards, and I don’t want you to tell me.”

“Of course.”

Heejin looked at the two of them for a moment longer, without touching, just thinking. Both of them were compelling in their own ways, and she enjoyed just looking at them. For the long term, though, she figured the thin golden one would be too slippery, and she would probably get her greasy fingerprints all over it by the time she arrived at school. She definitely didn’t want a grubby wand, especially not one that was meant to be so elegant.

The pink wand it was, then. She took it up and just held it for a moment.

“I really like this one,” she said.

“Try it out, then,” Mr Kang said. “Flick it around, see if anything starts flying, or if sparks appear. If you’re lucky, the wand will be a good conduit for your energy. I don’t think it’ll shatter.”

Heejin eyed the wand, wary of it actually _shattering,_ but gripped it tighter and took a deep breath, focusing on her magic. With a quick movement, she flicked it up — at once, pink sparkles shot up to the ceiling, and Heejin felt a giddy weightlessness at actually performing real magic until she realized that she was actually floating in midair. When she glanced around, she found that everything was floating an inch above the ground; the table, the couch her parents were sitting on, and her parents as well, looking surprised. Heejin tapped her wand down, and everything floated back down, gently landing where they had rested before.

Mr Kang had a small smile on his face; her parents beamed with delight. Heejin had her own little grin, pleased with herself and her ability.

“It’s perfect,” she said.

* * *

There were a few other things she had to buy — a pouch to carry the wand around in, a stand to keep it from rolling away while it was lying down, some magic-absorbing cleaning rag so it wouldn’t get overly grubby. With everything bought, and eventually packed away in a tearful afternoon spent with her mom, Heejin was ready to go. 

It was customary for new witches to find their way to St Dionysus on their own. This would have been pretty difficult a few centuries ago, but luckily there was a train station in the town by the school, and Heejin’s mom gave her a map and directions, so instead of a week-long journey through the countryside, Heejin spent a calm morning on the train after a tearful goodbye with her parents and a promise to visit often.

Once she got off the train, however, she had to find the school itself. The little town she passed through was old and beautiful; there was a small river running through, a historic town centre, and several little shops and restaurants. A sense of magic hung in the air. Heejin wandered for a little while, but she was using her wand to float a couple pieces of luggage behind her, and it was starting to make her shoulders ache, as if she was physically carrying it all around.

At first, she thought of using her mom’s directions, but it felt a little like cheating, since it was technically supposed to be her own way. Besides, after a quick glance at them, they told her how to get to the school directly from the train station, and she was pretty far from the train station by now.

Luckily, Heejin wasn’t alone in her journey. Today was moving-in day for everyone who had discovered their ability within the last year — Heejin had actually just made the deadline to enroll — and there were several moon-eyed people ranging in age about town. They all seemed to be headed the same way, and Heejin joined the vague trickle, walking through the old town centre until she found a cobblestone path that wound its way up one of the gentle hills surrounding the town. A few people stood by the mouth of the path, holding signs that said _St Dionysus’s College for Witchcraft and Revelry this way!!_ and giving suddenly-reassured people big smiles.

Heejin couldn’t suppress her smile. With an invigorated sense of adventure, she lifted her luggage again and made her way up.

The walk was gentle, with a fresh scent from the ever-blooming flowers on the hillside wafting over everyone. There was a light breeze, cooling the back of Heejin’s sweaty neck, and she breathed in deep, understanding the deep, ancient magic of this place.

Heejin reached the crest of the hill, where she could see the valley spread out before. A large lake rested in the middle, calm and sparkling in the afternoon sun; a forest ringed around it, spreading over as much of the valley as it could and crawling up the hills in all directions. On the far shore of the lake, several buildings pressed up against the forest, regal and stately even from a distance.

She took a moment to just look. With the blue sky above reflected in the lake below, it felt as if she was stepping into a new, mirrored world; magic hung in the air, filling the space between atoms.

This was it. A new start — the beginning of a new life.

Without another moment of hesitation, Heejin made her way down, eager to begin.

* * *

Her room was large and airy, and very tall. At the far end, opposite the door, there was a large window set into a recess, looking out over the back lawn and the forest beyond. There was a window seat big enough for two people before it, and on either side, two desks before their own windows. Two beds were squished into each wall, with fluffy white comforters on both, and pillows already stacked high, which Heejin liked. There was a closet behind in one corner of the room, and a small bathroom in the other.

Sunlight poured through the windows, and Heejin set her suitcase down on the wooden floor. She breathed in deep, feeling the old magic of this place, and let the breath go with a smile slowly spreading on her face.

This was her place.

She wasted no time unpacking. The books the school had given her (and a few of her own she’d brought along, and her mom’s, and maybe a couple fun fiction books) overflowed in her bookshelf, and on her desk, she placed several tchotchkes and organizers for her notebooks and pens and pencils. There was a corkboard over her desk, next to the window, and she pinned a few postcards and notes from her parents and sisters. She spread a blanket her mom had made over her bed, along with her small army of plushies, and shoved all of her clothes into the closet — the uniforms she had been given, and a few casual clothes she’d brought for the weekends and hours outside of class. Over her bed, she taped a couple posters up (one of a painting she loved, the other of a band she listened to all the time). And, as a sort of finishing touch, she took a framed picture of her and her family (and her dog) and placed it in a small alcove in her bed’s headboard. It and a small stand for her wand were the only things there, closest to her bed, in view of her pillow. Small reminders of who she was. Where she had come from.

In the end, it looked as if her personality had thrown up all over the room. It was perfect.

Heejin flopped face-first onto her bed and just laid there for a moment, exhausted after rushing to put everything away. She hugged one of her pillows and pressed her face into it, breathing in the clean scent, and the pure magical energy that thrummed in this place. It felt amazing. She couldn’t keep still for long, though, and soon enough the excitement bubbled up within her once more, and she squeed, kicking her feet onto the comforter until the joy settled down into something manageable.

“I’m magic,” Heejin said. She turned over to lay on her back, and stared up at the ceiling. “I’m _magic.”_

It was still… new. Special. Almost impossible to believe, and yet… she was _here._

Heejin was caught up in her thoughts when the door creaked open again, and another girl cautiously peered in. “Hello? Is someone here?”

Heejin sat up on the bed, and their eyes met.

Her heart skipped a beat. The girl was one of the prettiest people she had ever seen, with long, shiny hair, and a cute black ribbon tied under the collar of her shirt. She looked up at Heejin with wide eyes, and smiled, a sharp tooth peeking over her bottom lip.

“Hi,” the girl said. “I’m Kim Hyunjin.”

“H-hi,” Heejin said, suddenly shy. “I’m Jeon Heejin. I guess we’re roommates?”

“Sure,” Hyunjin said easily, stepping into the room fully. She looked around in wonder, appreciating the window seat and airiness of the room as Heejin had. “You’ve already settled in?”

“I got here a few hours ago, and I was pretty excited, so it got done fast,” Heejin said. Immediately after, she winced slightly, worried that she sounded as if she was bragging, or something. “Do you need any help unpacking? Maybe once we’re done we can go explore the grounds!”

Hyunjin smiled at her. “Yeah! That sounds fun.”

Heejin smiled widely and shook her hands a little bit. “Great!” She got off the bed and helped bring in Hyunjin’s two boxes. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

They set the two boxes right next to each other. Heejin was a little breathless from the exertion — the boxes were incredibly heavy — and when she looked up, Hyunjin was mere inches from her. She flushed quickly and rubbed her cheeks, aware of their closeness and of the strange tugging in her chest that seemed to pull her closer to the other.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Hyunjin said. “Let’s be friends?”

Heejin smiled. “Yes!”

As they unpacked Hyunjin’s boxes (filled with even more tchotchkes than Heejin had brought, and loads more clothes, but also practical things like pots and pans and bath products), the two of them chatted and got to know each other a bit better. Both of Hyunjin’s parents were witches, and she had two older brothers in the same way Heejin had two older sisters; only one other of each had manifested as a witch, and all of them were out of school. They were the same age, and Hyunjin had heard of the band in Heejin’s poster, though she only casually listened to their music and wasn’t a big fan of them like Heejin was. She had a couple cats at home, but hadn’t thought to bring a picture of them with her; she planned to go home about every weekend, since her parents lived in the neighboring town and owned a book store, and she could walk. Heejin only planned to go home once every month, since she’d have to take the train.

“You should come with me one day,” Hyunjin said. “Have you ever been?”

“No, my mom doesn’t like to come up here often,” Heejin said. “I don’t really know why. She’s never talked about it.”

“I see,” Hyunjin said. “If it’s your first time, I’ve _got_ to show you everything; there’s a candy store with magic candies I promise you can’t find anywhere else, it’s amazing! And there’s the museum that talks about developments in magical paintings and artwork — there’s an entire section of early portraits that only move their eyes, it’s so cool. And the river is so pretty, there’s a park nearby that we go to on really pretty days to have picnics… I already can’t wait to show you, it’s going to be so fun!”  
  
Hyunjin’s joy was infectious, and Heejin waved her hands as it bubbled up in her as well. “I’m so excited! We have a week before the quarter starts, do you think we can go sometime then? I need to buy food and kitchen things and everything… I didn’t think to bring more than a bar of soap, you’re so smart for thinking ahead.”

“Sure!” Hyunjin said. “Maybe the day after tomorrow?”

“That’s perfect,” Heejin said.

“You can meet my cats, too,” Hyunjin said. “They’re named Baba and Yoyo, here, I have pictures.”

She pulled out her phone, and the two of them sat down on Hyunjin’s bed to look. The cats were indeed adorable, curling over Hyunjin’s arm as she tried to do her homework and flopping over demanding play. The two of them cooed over a video of the cats single-mindedly chasing after a feathery toy.

“Ah,” Hyunjin said after a while, looking out the windows. “It’s getting pretty late. We should go get food, don’t you think?”

Heejin looked out the window as well. The sun was setting over the trees of the forest to their left, and the sky was a riot of yellow and pink. Hyunjin’s phone told them it was just past six, and on cue, Heejin’s stomach rumbled.

“That’s a good idea,” she said. “I have… um… instant ramyeon?”

“I’ll make us something,” Hyunjin said. “I like to cook, and besides, I have ingredients and you don’t. Do you know where the dining rooms are?”

She did; she’d passed through them on her way to their room. There was a dining room for each residential hallway, usually connected to a kitchen they could use and a comfy-looking living room. The school did have a large cafeteria for students that didn’t want to cook, but Heejin and Hyunjin decided to steer away. They were both picky eaters and didn’t want to mess with whatever the school made for them.

Their kitchen was incredibly cute. There were only six rooms in their hallway, which meant eleven people, since one was a single that belonged to their hall monitor. The kitchen had room enough for all of them, with two stoves by the windows and three full size refrigerators. There was a long counter with white wooden cabinets, painted with little pink flowers and green vines in the corners. Hyunjin brought a few things with her from her boxes, saying that she’d bring the rest of her kitchen things over tomorrow, probably, and made the two of them stirfry. Heejin cleaned up after them, insisting on it, since she had manners.

The sun had set fully, and the two of them settled back into their room for the night. They spent some time quietly alone, and Heejin was secretly grateful that they already had the kind of friendship that meant they could just hang out with each other and do their own thing.

“Hey,” Heejin said, feeling the urge to tell Hyunjin. “I’m glad we’re roommates. You’re a really good person.”

Hyunjin had been listening attentively, and broke out into a huge smile. “Thanks. I’m happy we’re friends.”

Heejin smiled and wiggled slightly with happiness. “Me too.”

* * *

Before they knew it, classes started.

In the morning, they had regular, mundane classes; things like science, math, and language arts. Then lunch at the cafeteria, as the school insisted upon (though it was fine, since they learned that each student got a meal made specifically for them with dietary restrictions in mind), and finally, the afternoon held magical lessons.

Though they hadn’t shared all of their morning classes, by luck, Heejin and Hyunjin’s schedules almost perfectly aligned in the afternoons. There was a time on Tuesday when Heejin had classes in the greenhouses while Hyunjin had free study time, and on Friday Hyunjin had an anatomy class while Heejin had a class on charms, but even most of their study periods lined up. They also had the same student-to-student tutor, an older girl named Bae Juhyun, though they hadn’t met with her yet.

On the first day of class, Heejin sat impatient and bored through the morning classes; she was anxious for the afternoon, and her first class with Hyunjin — Introduction to Magical Theory.

They met up at lunch, giggling about their excitement for their afternoon classes, and walked over together. The teacher, Miss Lee, let them sit wherever they wanted, explained that she was Deaf and that they’d have to be patient if she didn’t notice their raised hands right away. She began her lecture the moment the class started, and Heejin sat up straighter in her chair, paying intent attention.

“Soon enough, you will all learn how to wield magic wandlessly and wordlessly,” Miss Lee signed. “The natural state of magic flows through you and connects you to the earth. For now, the wand helps you direct your innate magical energy; but as you grow more confident in your ability, you will need it less and less as you master more and more difficult concepts.

“Your wands will be more useful when you choose a path to take. There are many courses of study available here, and you may walk down your path as long as you wish here. Most of you are young enough that these magical classes feel supplemental to your normal high school classes; some of you are older, perhaps in university, and understand the implications of choosing a path in life better. These first two quarters you will spend at St Dionysus, however, belong to me and the other teachers of the magical theory path. We will teach you the basics every new witch must learn; we trust you to master them before you step onto a path, where knowledge of them will be necessary.

“As witches, you have a certain level of responsibility. You will be given knowledge, and will find that it is both a gift and a burden. Magic is not to be trifled with; it is an honored aspect of our lives, and we must respect it.”

Miss Lee then broke into a smile, seemingly amused at the pale, scared faces staring back at her. “With that all said,” she signed, “it is our sacred duty to have _fun.”_

Heejin broke into a smile, and looked over at Hyunjin, who beamed back at her.

“We’re magic,” Hyunjin whispered.

Under the table they shared, Hyunjin’s hand found hers, and gripped it tightly with excitement. Heejin squeezed it back, and felt her heart flutter in her chest. From excitement, certainly, but also from the flushed joy of holding Hyunjin’s hand.

“Now, everyone,” Miss Lee signed with excitement. “Take out your wands, and we shall begin!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!! This is a sort of prequel for a series I'm thinking of making based in this magic school; I'm hoping to release a few other prequel-like short stories before publishing the main story, so I hope you stick around for that! It'll include a few other groups, but please trust me when I say I can balance all of them, haha. 
> 
> This is a gift for [@foshimu](https://twitter.com/foshimu) on twitter, for an Orbit Secret Santa! I really hope you enjoyed it <3 
> 
> You can find me on twitter [@spinsters_grave](https://twitter.com/spinsters_grave). Once again, thank you so much for reading!! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!! <3 <3


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